Monday, November 28, 2016

The European Commission is OVER - GERMANY now rules Europe, declares former president

THE European Commission is over as Germany dominates Brussels, a former president has claimed. Romano Prodi led the Commission between 1999 and 2004 and oversaw the EU nearly double in size.
But he claims Brussels’ glory days are over as Germany and France and other member states snatch power from the European Commission.
The 77-year-old told Politico the organisation has morphed from a “union of minorities” to a “coalition of states” which has changed how the EU works and plans for its future. Mr Prodi said: “During my time at the Berlaymont, one just had to turn on a news channel of a European country and it was all about the Commission.
“Today, it’s all about the Council.”
Headed by Donald Tusk the Council brings together member states to set the EU’s political agenda with the Commission, overseen by chief Eurocrat Jean-Claude Juncker, acting as the executive as the EU promoting its general interest. The EU’s endless departments and institutes of bureaucracy are being overthrown by national governments who are now more important in determining European affairs, said Mr Prodi with Germany dominating the EU.
He said: “The resolutions of the Greek crisis was not a Brussels-Athens decision, it was a Berlin-Athens decision.”
As the EU becomes smaller, the future of the leaders of the Commission and Council were rocked last week when European Parliament president Martin Schulz announced he would step down from his post last week as he returns to frontline German politics. The move expected to spark a fundamental sea-change in the EU’s political balance, with a a shift in favour of the centre-right groups weakening current Commission president Mr Juncker’s position and also cast doubt on Donald Tusk, 59, the President of the European Council.
The rise of member states coupled with anti-EU referendums has also weakened the Commission.
Mr Prodi added the 2005 referendum which saw France vote against having to ratify the EU constitution was a major blow to the Commission.With Brexit sparking a wave of anti-EU sentiment across the bloc, a series of referendums and elections in the next six months raise serious questions about the future of Brussels. Former Italian Prime Minister Mr Prodi added: “Without trying to make reference to the upcoming referendum in Italy, referendums are rarely about the question they ask.”
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to resign if he does not win the December 4 referendum on constitutional reform, opening the way for renewed political instability in the eurozone's third largest economy.
Opinion polls now predict Mr Renzi's defeat, in what would be the third big anti-establishment revolt by voters this year in a major Western country, following Brexit and the US election of Donald Trump. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/737230/angela-merkel-germany-rule-european-commission-over-romano-prodi